What's new

Stuffed is not really about food. It is about families, those strange and wonderful microcosms that mean 'you enter the world already part of something'. But, in Patricia Volk's case, family life and the life of the appetites are more or less inseparable. Her parents were successful New York City restaurateurs, and none of the people and events she writes about - funnily, and often movingly - can be separated completely from a dish or a meal. 'In a restaurant family, you're never hungry, you're starving. You're never full, you're stuffed.' Volk portrays her bourgeois Jewish family with an unyielding respect for concrete detail, but her graceful, finely wrought prose endows them with a universality that can stand comparison to the work of Philip Roth. Hear it serialised on Radio 4 in July. Or buy it now and spend some of the most pleasurable hours of your life. A small masterpiece. Stuffed: Growing Up In A Restaurant Family, by Patricia Volk, £12.99 (Bloomsbury).

The crunch

Few companies with a single great product can resist the temptation to branch out. A risky business: if the new star fails to shine, the old one can look tarnished by association. Kettle Chips have done the brand-branching bit with their new Tortillas (cornmeal chips), and the results are mixed. When the What's New panel tasted two of the four flavours, we couldn't see what had possessed Kettle to start grinding white corn instead of slicing potatoes. Then we tasted the other two, and all became clear. The good flavours: Spicy Enchilada and Louisiana Hot Sauce. The also-rans: Sea Salt, Coriander and Garlic, and Mexicana Cheddar. Stick with the spice. Kettle Tortillas, from Sainsbury's and Asda, £1.39.

The footie feast

You wouldn't believe how many helpful suggestions I've received about what to eat and drink while watching the World Cup. Then again, maybe you would believe it. In any event, the one that scored is the 'organic breakfast' proposed by Graig Farm Organics in Wales. They sell fodder for the whole meal, and I can strongly recommend the dry-cured bacon and the sausages. Breakfast of champions. Graig Farm Organic Breakfast, 01597 851655 (www.graigfarm.co.uk/breakfast.htm).

The edible Antipodes

Have you noticed that so many great Australian exports end with the 'ee' sound? Kylie, Dannii, Natalie, Holly and, of course, yabby. Hang on a sec, who's yabby? Soap star? Nah, a yabby is a freshwater crayfish, native to southeastern Australia, and it'll be starring - along with banana prawns and Moreton Bay bugs (a funny-looking lobster) - in the Oz02 promotion running all month at Harvey Nichols. There are hundreds of products, both fresh (like the fishies) and prepared foods such as chutneys, sauces, cheeses and pickles. Notables: Lemon Myrtle Infused Olive Oil (£6.95) and Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle (£2.95). Oz02, at Harvey Nichols, 109-125 Knightsbridge, London SW1 (020-7235 5000), 107-111 Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire (0113 204 8000) and 31/32 Wharfside Street, The Mailbox, Birmingham (0121-616 6000). For questions or mail order, call 020-7201 8538.

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